Henry Surtees' death shakes motorsport world

When John Surtees was winning world titles on two and four wheels in the 1950s and 1960s, fatal accidents were accepted as an almost inevitable by-product of motor racing.

Tragedy: John Surtees with son Henry, who died on Sunday after being hit by a loose wheel in a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch.Photo: PA

By Tom Cary

11:58PM BST 20 Jul 2009

Surtees himself survived a life-threatening crash at the Mosport Circuit in Ontario, Canada, in 1965, while testing a Lola Can-Am car. Many of his friends and rivals were not so lucky.

The irony is that in this more sanitised age, a freak accident of the kind that is so rare these days should kill his teenage son, Henry.

With his parents watching, the 18 year-old was hit on the head by a loose wheel from another car that bounced across the track during a Formula Two race at Brands Hatch on Sunday. It is understood Surtees was killed instantly by the blow, his car driving straight through the next corner before colliding with the barriers, but that has not yet been confirmed by a coroner's report. A detailed investigation will take place.

It was a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in motorsport, although it says much for the great strides it has made in the area of safety that the incident has so shaken the racing community.

As tributes for Henry flooded in on Monday, John Surtees, now 75, issued a poignant statement saying simply that his son would be "deeply missed".

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"Henry had followed his heart from the time he first sat in a kart," said the 1964 Formula One world champion. "He treated seriously the balance between motorsport and school, having just finished his A-levels. The world beckoned and he was thriving on the freedom to concentrate on his motorsport.

"Despite bad luck in his motorsport, he had shown himself to be one with the possibilities of reaching the very top. Despite his young age he had shown maturity, technical understanding and speed. Most importantly he was a nice person and a loving son and brother. He will be deeply missed."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa both expressed their sorrow and, in common with other leading figures in motorsport, stressed the importance of learning from the tragedy.

"These things remind us how much safety has to remain the priority on the track and in all the other places of motorsport," Massa said. "Over the last years much has been done, but we can't be inattentive."

It was a sentiment echoed by Jonathan Palmer, the chief executive of MotorSport Vision, which supplies the cars and operates the FIA's Formula Two world championship.

"This is the saddest time in my 35 years of motor racing and my deepest sympathies are with father John, mother Jane and their daughters Edwina and Leonora," said Palmer, whose own son, Jolyon, also races in Formula Two. "It is particularly poignant for me as a father and brings into sharp and uncomfortable focus the inevitable danger of motorsport.

"On Sunday morning my 18 year-old son, Jolyon, and Henry were sat together, amidst all the F2 drivers, joking and signing autographs for fans. In the afternoon race Henry was just half a second or so behind Jolyon, trying to move forward after an earlier spin. As they both dived down towards Sheene, the bouncing wheel just missed Jolyon, but hit Henry, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Surtees had achieved his first F2 podium last Saturday and Palmer said that he "looked very likely to be a winner in F2 in the future and maybe even F1".

Palmer added that there would be a detailed investigation as organisers sought to learn from the incident in the "continual quest" to make motor racing safer, although he stressed that the Williams F1-designed cars complied with the FIA's 2005 F1 safety standards, "including the fitment of wheel tethers to reduce the risk of wheels coming off in accidents."

He added: "As with F1 however, wheel tethers cannot provide an absolute guarantee that a wheel will not come off in an accident."

Having been hit by a bouncing wheel from a competitor's car, Surtees' car also lost a wheel when it ploughed straight into Sheene at 120mph.

The FIA, world motorsport's governing body, offered its condolences to the family and said it would await a report into the incident before making any comment.